This is certainly not a new theme with me. Just because your audience refrains from telling you that you are a bumbling Bozo and fooling no one, it doesn’t mean you’ve fooled anybody! It just means you’ve either got a polite audience or they don’t really care enough to comment.

It seems that many magicians totally misunderstand the be entertaining mantra. Be entertaining with magic that actually fools someone. Lame jokes and ridiculous story lines do nothing for the magic experience if you are not mystifying.

I’ve begun a list of moves that look like exactly what they are:

• The Striking Vanish – Looks Like – Throwing an object from hand to hand 
• Flushtration Count – Looks Like – Showing the same card over and over 
• Criss Cross Force – Looks Like – Putting the top and bottom card next to each other 
• Prediction Tricks – Looks Like – Magician will force what he wrote down
• Magician In Trouble – Looks Like – Lame actor pretending something went wrong
• The Brush Change – Looks Like – Holding 2 cards as 1 and leaving 1 when you cover the face card

There are more – many more and I’m talking about those moves that are obvious, even when well done. Of course, any move fumbled by an ill prepared magician is totally transparent.

Any other nominees?

Take care……… 
 

One of the most intelligent articles I’ve seen in a LONG time. I highly recommend it.

9/11 Is Over – New York Times.